Matcha Protein Bars

Looking for a healthy and energizing snack recipe? Look no further than these Matcha Protein Bars made with a vegan, cashew base and matcha, coconut butter frosting for healthy snacking on a budget.

It’s crazy to think that a year ago I was in my first 200 hour yoga teacher training. I was also planning a wedding…and had shingles. So WOAH. A lot can happen in a year. What hasn’t changed over the last year is my love for these matcha protein bars.

The love affair began when I was doing my 200 hour YTT and basically had to pack 3 meals a day + snacks for an entire weekend. We were in the studio Friday night, all day Saturday and all day Sunday. Not to mention the fact that we were doing yoga at least 50% of the time. All to say… we were HUNGRY.

No matter how much food I’d back, my tummy would inevitably start rumbling and whenever we’d have a quick 10 minute break I’d run a couple blocks over to Urban Remedy and grab a snack. 9 times out of 10 I’d reach for their Matcha Protein Bar. It became my saving grace, not only providing me with the energy I needed to get through the day, but also a small dose of caffeine to physically stay awake.

Now, a year later, I’m still equally as addicted to these bars but also feeling the $$$ pain and how much I’ve spent buying them. They certainly aren’t cheap! But they’re delicious and full of healthy ingredients so I’ve never felt bad buying them. And then I had a thought: what if I tried making them at home? Jess and I did a brainstorm, tweaked the recipe a few times and finally we have the perfect Matcha Protein Bar Recipe.

HOW TO MAKE MATCHA PROTEIN BARS

A few key points when making these matcha protein bars:

-Use high quality, food-grade matcha. You can taste the difference! We like this one

-A neutral-flavored plant-based protein powder is key (we like this one). You can use whatever protein powder you have but for a taste similar to the original that isn’t too sweet, go with something neutral

-Keep these stored in the fridge. You can keep them out for a few hours, but they will soften. If I’m out for the day I will put them in a glass tupperware so they don’t lose their shape.

-Whether or not your coconut butter melts depends on the brand. If it doesn’t melt, no biggie! Just spread overtop the base and it will solidify on top just as well.

Funny enough, I’m actually doing an additional 50 hours of yoga teacher training right now to help grow my knowledge and teach more specific populations. So I’m back in the studio doing A LOT of yoga and once again, filling up on snacks. This time however, I’m packing my own snacks and bringing a couple of these Matcha Energy Bars in tow. As expected, they’re doing the trick and I’m saving money. I call that a win!

I would like to try these but the coconut, almond and cashew butters where I live (outside the US) are prohibitively expensive. I imagine peanut butter would be too strong… is there something else you might suggest as a sub? Alternatively, what if I mixed the powder into the bar itself and nixed the icing?